Grain-dampener.



Patented Aug. 22j, |899.

v /N N ATTORNEYS W. J. EN EARL.

GRAIN DAMPENER.

(Application filed Apr. 4, 189B.)

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o o 4 Q UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM JOHN ENEARL, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRD TO ERWIN D. I-IAWLEY, OF SAME PLACE.

MPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 631,625, dated August 22', 1899.

Appiicaiion filed April 4, 1898.

To @ZZ whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, WILLIAM JOHN EN EARL, of Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented a new and Improved Grain -Dampener, of which. the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in devices intended for dampening grain or similar material.

It comprises the novel features of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication, inv which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both gures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device with parts in section, and Fig. 2 is asectional view on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1.

The object of my invention is lto provide a mechanism for dampening grain and similar material which shall automatically control the supply of Water, so that the grain will be uniformly dampened, and thus prevent some portions of the gr'ain from being excessively dampened While other portions are' comparatively dry. This result is secured by the mechanism hereinafter described.

A hopper A is provided, which may be of any suitable form. As herein shown, it is constructed as a cylinder having a rounded or hemispherical lower end. This hopper is provided with a narrow slot A2 in its lower end adapted to entirely discharge the hopper when the supply is cut 0E. The hopper is also provided withv a vertically-extending slot A' in one side thereof. This slotis partially or entirely covered by a plate D, secured to the outer side of the hopper and adjustable thereon, so as to partially or entirely cover the slot at will. The method of this adjustmentis shown in Fig. 1, wherein rods D are secured at each end to the plate and passed througheyes a, attached to the hopper, and a slide-bar D2 is secured to the center of the opposite edge of the plate D and is held to the hopper by a bolt and thumb-nut D3. This permits the plate D to be adjusted,

so as to cover the slot more or less, as desired. 5o A casing B is attached to the side of the Serial No. 676,398. (No model.)

hopper, so as to house the slot A and prevent the grain as it issues from the slot being discharged to such a distance from thehopper as to clear the receiving-hopper M, which is located beneath the slot. This casing may be Vattached to the hopper in any suitable c manner. As herein shown, it is hinged thereto bythe hinges b and locked' in place by a catch b.

. The hopper is supported fromalever E by means of pins e', entering\ holes in the ends of the forked arms of the lever E. This lever is made in a Y shape or has one yend forked, so as to embrace the upper end of the hopper. Theleveris pivoted upon a fulcrum e, mounted upon any suitable support. As herein shown, this 4support consists of the tank T, which acts as a reservoir for supplying the water. To the opposite end of the lever E is attached a rod F, to which is attached a spring F. This spring issecured to the base of the casingy in which the dampening device is located by having its end threaded and placingathumb-nutGthereon, by which means the tension of the, spring may be adjusted.

The reservoir T is supplied with water through a pipe P or other suitable means and is provided with an overflow-pipe O,connected with the same near the top, and with a cleaning-pipe N, entering t-he same from the `lbotf tom and provided with a closing-valve N'. Water is taken from the reservoir T through av pipe K, and to this pipe is attached a valve by which the flow of Water is regulated. This valve maybe of any suitable construction by which a reciprocating rod is enabled to control the outiiow.

As herein shown, the valve consists of a T- casing I, provided with a plug at one end,- forming a stuffing-box for the valve pistonrod J Through the opposite end projects a short section of pipe R, upon which the piston J seats to control or stop the flow of water. From this valve a pipe L leads to the receiving-hopper M, Where the Water and the grain are mixed. l

Upon the T-casing I is mounted an arm h', to which at h is pivoted a bell-crank lever H. This lever is connected at oneend to the pis- IOO ton-rod J of the valve and at its other end to therod F. AsthehopperAdescendsunderiniiuence of the weight of grain therein the valve J will be opened, the degree of the opening depending upon the weight of grain in the hopper. If the hopperbecomes empty, the spring F will pull down the lever E and close the valve J, so as to cutoff the Ilow of water. The slot A in the side of the hopperAbeing narrow and extending nearly the height of the hopper, the grain will back up in the hopper to a height corresponding with the volume of flow. The weight of grain in the hopper is thus enabled to control the opening of the valve J. The amount of water furnished for the same weight is also ad justable by adjusting the plate D over the slot A'. Vhen the slot is widened, a smaller proportion of water will be furnished than when the slot is narrowed. As a consequence the device may be set to vary the amount of water supplied to the grain to meet the requirements. The grain will therefore be uniformly dampened whatever the volu me of iiow.

To prevent the impact of the grain when falling into the hopper interfering with the exact regulation of the device, a receivingbox C is provided just above the hopper and has an opening C2 in one end thereof and a portion C' of the bottom, which receives the grain from the supply-pipe. This causes a uniform drop of the grain into the hopper, and thus does away with irregularity due to the falling of the grain into the hopper from different heights.

It is obvious that this device may be used for dampening any kind of grain or granular material, such as sand, gravel, orany material of this nature which may be passed through a narrow slot such as that in the side of the hopper. I do not therefore wish to limit my invention to its use in connection with grain only. Its principal use is, however, for dampening wheat previous to grinding in order that the hull may bc removed without rem oving any of the body of the grain.

It is evident that the lower end of the hopper may be made of any shape which will permit the grain to flow to the discharge-slot, so as to entirely empty the hopper. A hemispherical bottom is shown, but this shape is not in any sense an essential one.

I'Iaving thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In a device for dampening grain and similar material, the combination of a springcounterbalanced hopper having a verticallyextending slot in one side and adapted to receive the grain, with a water-supply discharging into the grain, and a valve in said watersupply controlled by the weight of grain in the hopper, substantially as described.

2. In a device for dampening grain and similar material, the combination of a hopper having a vertical discharge-slot, with a water- Supply discharging into the grain and controlled in quant-ity by the weight of grain in the hopper, substantially as described.

3. In a device for dampening grain and similar material, the combination of a hopper having a vertical discharge-slot, and means for changing the width of said slot, with a water-supply discharging into thc grain and controlled in quantity by the weight of grain in the hopper, substantially as described'.

4. In a device for dampening grain and similar material, the combination of a hopper having a vertical discharge-slot, and means for changing the width of said slot with a water-supply discharging into the grain, and a valve in said water-supply controlled by the weight of grain in the hopper, substantially as described.

5. In a device for dampening grain and similar material, the combination of a hopper having a vertical discharge-slot, a pivoted lever having at one end supporting connection with the hopper, and a counterbalancingspring connected to the lever, with a waterreservoir, a discharge-valve therefor, and connections from said valve to the pivoted lever whereby the valve opening is controlled by the weight of the hopper contents, substantially as described.

6. The combination'of a valve with controlling means therefor operative by Variation in iiow of a material, and comprising a hopper receiving said material and having a vertical discharge-slot in one side, a weightcontrolled yielding support for the hopper, and controlling connection between the hopper and valve, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a valve with controlling means therefor operative by variation in flow of a material and comprising a hopper receiving said material and having a vertical discharge-slot in one side, means for adjusting the width of the slot, a weight-controlled yielding support for the hopper, and connection between the hopper and valve, substantially as described.

8. The combination of avalve with controlling means therefor operative by variation in iiow of a material and comprising a hopper receiving said material and having a vertical discharge-slot in one side, a plate mounted in guides upon the hopper and adapted to vary the slot opening, a weightcontrolled yielding support for the hopper, and connection between the hopper and valve, substantially as described.

9. In a device for dampening grain and similar material, the combination of a hopper having a vertical discharge-slot, a pivoted lever having suspending connection at one end with the hopper, and a counterbalancingspring connected to the lever, with a waterreservoir, a discharge-valve therefor having a stem extending to the outside, a lever connected thereto and adapted to regulate the valve opening,and connection from said lever to the hopper-supportin g lever, substantially as described.

IOO

IIO

. a retarding-hopper receiving said material.

and having a discharge-slot extending above or beyond the iioW-line of the 1naterial,where by it is operative in proportion to the Volume of flow, a yielding support for the hopper,

and connections from the hopper to the valve.

l2. The combination of avalve,with control- 2o ling means therefor operative by variation in flow of material, said means comprising a hopper having a vertical discharge-slot eX- tending longitudinally thereof, which is operative as an outlet to an extent proportioned to the volume of ow of the material passing through the hopper,a Weight-controlled yielding support for the hopper, and controlling connection between the hopper and valve.

WILLIAM JOHN EN EARL.

Witnesses:

ERWIN D. HAWLEY, HoMER J. HAWLEYa 

